Paragon SC2 and SC3 kilns are generally used for Art Clay and PMC metal clays, enamelling, fusing glass, annealing beads, and making jewellery, although they have other applications. They're 1095°C kilns with digital programmers, in Paragon blue or customised berry, black, jade, navy, pink, purple, or turquoise. Learn about Paragon SC kilns on this page.

There are eight regular versions: the SC2, SC2B, SC2W, and SC2BW, and the larger SC3, SC3B, SC3W, and SC3BW. The B versions have a bead-annealing door, the W have a heat-resistant glass viewing-window, and the BW have both.

And one large version: the SC4. Unlike the 1095°C SC2 and SC3, it's a 925°C kiln. But, as it's 330mm x 330mm x 229mm high inside, about 4.24 times larger than the SC2, it's ideal for making glass bowls, figurines, panels, plates, and tiles.

Prices here are transparent: they're for UK-EU voltage, CE marked, CL CSA approved, and TUV tested kilns, and include a pro shelf kit, comprehensive instructions, GB-mainland delivery, UK VAT, and free continuing support from a top-tier international distributor. So you can start work straight away.

For prices, trading terms, and secure on-line shopping, use the shop link below the menu bar near the top-right of any page. The order form is after the price list, near the bottom.

Kilns that weigh less than 30kg are delivered on a regular parcel-service van: they don't need a tail-lift lorry with a hydraulic pallet trolley. There are no GB-mainland delivery charges.

There are eight regular versions: the medium SC2, SC2B, SC2W, and SC2BW, and the larger SC3, SC3B, SC3W, and SC3BW. The B versions have a bead-annealing door, the W have a heat-resistant glass viewing-window, and the BW have both.

And one large version: the SC4. Unlike the 1095°C SC2 and SC3, it's a 925°C kiln. But, as it's 330mm x 330mm x 229mm high inside, about 4.24 times larger than the SC2, it's ideal for making glass bowls, figurines, panels, plates, and tiles.

SC2 and SC3 kilns are very versatile:

Our programmers have an important refinement. When they turn the elements off at, for example, 700°C, residual heat will continue to increase the temperature briefly. A small kiln can overshoot to 715°C before falling back down. A software modification slows down the heating rate just before the target temperature, reducing any overshoot and improving the accuracy.

The Sentry Xpress 3-key programmer can be upgraded to a Sentry 12-key or a Sentinel Touch Screen. Both have optional features, including automatic control for an electric kiln vent, a gas injection system, and a USB computer interface. Although, in my opinion, these are more of a preference than important upgrades.

The elements are embedded in ceramic-fibre: an important safety feature. As they're not exposed, there's no door cut-off switch so, if you open the kiln to check on enamelling or fusing, the elements stay on and the kiln doesn't lose heat quickly.

The US-international kiln doors have a ball-catch. The catch is usually too loose or too tight, particularly as the kiln heats up and the metalwork expands, and has almost no useful adjustment. It's easy to disturb your work whilst pushing the door closed or pulling it open, and you usually need a free hand to hold the hot kiln steady. Our SC2 and SC3 kilns have a lever latch with a simple, effective, adjustable action.

Long-life nickel-chromium K-type thermocouples replace the bead-style and sheathed-style. They respond more quickly to temperature changes and resist corrosion-failure. However, for high-temperature precision professional use, these can be upgraded to platinum-rhodium S-types.

The US-international kilns include a flimsy economy fibre shelf. It only occupies about 56% of the firing-chamber floor-area, so limits how you can work. Our SC2 and SC3 kilns include a full-size durable cordierite pro shelf with four props. Unlike the standard kilns, this is included: it's not a £30.00 extra.

They're ideal for a community arts workshop, course venue, dental practice, drop-in craft class, engineering workshop, home business, jewellery studio, medical laboratory, research facility, school, or technical facility. The Paragon SC2 is probably the most popular kiln in the UK.

Heat-treating and knife-making kilns generally have a maximum temperature of 1095°C to 1290°C. For these, look at the KM Series, made for depth rather than width, the HT Series, and the PMT Series.

To learn more about other kilns, use the appropriate links above and below the menu bar near the top of the page. Each series has kilns of different sizes with different options, so I've only included one of each in the table below:

VERSION

DESCRIPTION

MAX °C

POWER W

WEIGHT KG

FIRING CHAMBER

INTERIOR SIZE MM

SC 2

square front-opener

1095

1680

16

ceramic fibre

199 x 203 x 145

SC 2B

bead door

1095

1680

16

ceramic fibre

199 x 203 x 145

SC 2W

window

1095

1680

16

ceramic fibre

199 x 203 x 145

SC 2BW

bead door and window

1095

1680

16

ceramic fibre

199 x 203 x 145

SC 2 Pro

square front-opener

1095

1680

16

ceramic fibre

199 x 203 x 145

SC 3

square front-opener

1095

2000

18

ceramic fibre

201 x 197 x 200

SC 3B

bead door

1095

2000

18

ceramic fibre

201 x 197 x 200

SC 3W

window

1095

2000

18

ceramic fibre

201 x 197 x 200

SC 3BW

bead door and window

1095

2000

18

ceramic fibre

201 x 197 x 200

SC 4

square front-opener

925

2400

49

ceramic fibre

330 x 330 x 229

BlueBird

two bead doors

650

1500

22

ceramic fibre

508 x 152 x 070

BlueBird XL

two bead doors

815

1700

41

ceramic fibre

508 x 203 x 114

Caldera-B

one bead door

1290

1800

20

firebrick

203 x 203 x 171

F 130 Elite

square one punty door

925

2400

79

firebrick

279 x 279 x 330

Fusion CS14D

square lid and body-opener

925

1800

71

firebrick

356 x 356 x 165

GL 24ADTSD

square front-opener

1095

10800

193

firebrick

610 x 572 x 381

HT-14D

square front-opener

1095

3120

55

firebrick

330 x 343 x 222

Janus 1613

round top-opener

1290

4800

90

firebrick

419 x 337

KM 24T

front opening

1290

2600

63

firebrick

140 x 610 x 108

Pearl 22

square top-opener

925

7200

146

firebrick

559 x 559 x 330

PMT 18

square front-opener

1290

6500

170

firebrick

330 x 457 x 330

Xpress E12A

rectangular front-opener

1290

2200

38

firebrick

196 x 295 x 219

Digital programmers allow you to set up sequences, each one with multiple heating, holding, or cooling segments: so you can choose the heating and cooling rates, target temperatures, and hold times, save the sequences, and re-use them.

Being able to create, edit, and save your own programmes is important because, having experimented and diversified, most people fire materials, or combinations of materials, at different temperatures and for different times than are recommended.

For help, or in the unlikely event of a fault, you can mail or call an engineer in the UK. However, checks, adjustments, and repairs are simple, needing little more than a PosiDriv screwdriver: watch the on-line videos using the watch-videos link or read the help pages using use the help link, both below the menu bar near the top of any page. Alternatively, we can service the kiln in our workshop at Cherry Heaven.

After looking at each kiln in detail, I'll introduce the appropriate accessories, options, and upgrades.

Paragon's kiln names often use a suffixed number to represent one or more of the internal dimensions in inches. However, for this kiln, 2 doesn't mean it's 2 inches anywhere. It's about 8 inches wide, 8 inches deep, and 6 inches high inside.

The UK-EU kiln is rated at 230V-240V1680W, so it can use a regular mains socket. To comply with EU safety regulations, the elements are embedded: an important safety feature. However, never get careless: kilns are very hot and connected to the mains.

The external dimensions are 336mm x 311mm x 400mm high. The case is slotted for air circulation and has an integral stand. There's a removable stopper in the top vent for lost-wax casting and other processes that might release fumes. The shipping weight is about 16kg.

The firing chamber, enclosed in an inner steel case, measures 199mm x 203mm x 145mm high, and heats from both sides, with the fast-firing elements safely embedded in the fibre. The kiln has an electro-mechanical relay and a nickel-chromium K-type thermocouple.

The programmer's electronic display prompts for heating rates, target temperatures, and hold times, making it easy to set up and re-use accurate heating, holding, and cooling sequences.

The accessories, options, and upgrades for this kiln are in the on-line shop:

The Paragon SC2 heats up quickly, it's fully-programmable, does most things for most people within its size and temperature limits, and is small enough to get out, use, and put away. It's ideal for classrooms, colleges, course venues, homes, schools, workshops, and commercial jewellery studios.

It's very versatile: you can paint china figures, do enamelling, make glass figurines, bowls, panels, plates, and vases, anneal, cast, fuse, sag, and slump glass, do lost-wax casting, use jewellery moulds, and make 150mm square glass tiles. Or fire lots of metal clay at one go on three shelves.

As the elements are embedded in ceramic-fibre, not exposed, there's no door cut-off switch so, if you open the kiln to check on enamelling or fusing, the elements stay on and the kiln doesn't lose heat quickly.

THE PARAGON SC2: KILN FURNITURE

The Paragon SC2 Kiln Furniture.

The US-international SC2 and SC3 kilns include a flimsy economy fibre shelf. It only occupies about 56% of the firing-chamber floor-area, so limits how you can work. Our SC2 and SC3 kilns include a durable cordierite pro shelf with four props. So:

There's a recommended kit, included in the price: one durable 178mm x 178mm x 15mm cordierite shelf and four 12mm shelf posts.

There's an extra recommended kit, not included in the price: one 178mm x 178mm x 15mm shelf and four posts. You can choose 12mm, 25mm, or 50mm posts.

Depending on the material or process, and the sizes of your pieces, stacked shelves will hold more work, free up your time, and reduce the unit firing cost: so you might want more kits. This kiln has room for three.

The Paragon SC-2B door includes a 165mm x 64mm letter-box style bead-annealing door and a 5-place bead-mandrel holder. Otherwise, it's the same as the SC-2 door.

The bead door is hinged along the top edge and opens outwards. The bead mandrels, or rods, holding your glass beads, are pushed through the bead door and rest on the mandrel holder, so that an annealing programme can toughen the glass.

The bead door can also be used to take a quick peep at china paints, enamels, glass, and glazes to check on their progress, or to adjust or move pieces of work. It gives you a wider view than a window, but the kiln will heat unevenly if you keep it fully open for too long.
Purists will tell you not to open the bead door but remember that when you're using bead mandrels it's slightly open all the time. As always, experiment and find the simplest or most successful way of working.

If you touch hot bead mandrels, even very briefly, it's important to wear heat-resistant gloves to protect your fingers. Hot gloves are in the on-line shop.

The SC-2W door includes a 50mm x 50mm heat-resistant glass viewing-window in the centre of the door. Otherwise it's the same as the SC-2 door.

The window allows you to take a quick peep at china paints, enamels, glass, and glazes to check on their progress: and you might find it interesting or reassuring to watch what happens during the firing sequence.
The window will cause a modest heat loss so the kiln might not heat as quickly or reach its top temperature. To resolve this, tuck a piece of ceramic-fibre cloth behind the glass. Ceramic-fibre cloths are in the on-line shop.

If you look into a red-hot kiln, even very briefly, it's important to wear glare-resistant glasses to protect your eyes from IR and UV radiation. Hot glasses are in the on-line shop.

The Paragon SC-2BW door includes a 165mm x 64mm letter-box style bead-annealing door, a 5-place bead-mandrel holder, and a 75mm x 25mm heat-resistant glass viewing-window above the door. Otherwise, it's the same as the SC-2 door.

The SC-2BW is the most versatile of the SC-2 series, combining the advantages of the SC-2B and the SC-2W described above. It's a good choice if you're buying your first kiln and you're not sure what you might want to do with it in the future.

Even if you don't use the bead door and window very often as you gain experience, they do make learning easier and you might find it interesting or reassuring to watch what happens during the firing sequence.

The Sentry 12-key programmer can be upgraded to a Sentinel Touch Screen. Both have advanced and time-saving features, including optional automatic control over an electric kiln vent, a gas injection system, and a USB computer interface.

As with the regular SC-2, the B version has a bead-annealing door, the W version has a heat-resistant glass viewing-window, and the BW version has both.

THE PARAGON SC3

ART CLAY AND PMC, DICHROICS, ENAMELLING, ANNEALING AND FUSING GLASS, AND LOST WAX

Paragon's kiln names often use a suffixed number to represent one or more of the internal dimensions in inches. However, for this kiln, 3 doesn't mean it's 3 inches anywhere. It's about 8 inches wide, 8 inches deep, and 8 inches high inside.

The UK-EU kiln is rated at 230V-240V2000W, so it can use a regular mains socket. To comply with EU safety regulations, the elements are embedded: an important safety feature. However, never get careless: kilns are very hot and connected to the mains.

The external dimensions are 336mm x 311mm x 432mm high. The case is slotted for air circulation and has an integral stand. There's a removable stopper in the top vent for lost-wax casting and other processes that might release fumes. The shipping weight is about 18kg.

The firing chamber, enclosed in an inner steel case, measures 201mm x 197mm x 200mm high, and heats from both sides, with the fast-firing elements safely embedded in the fibre. The kiln has an electro-mechanical relay and a nickel-chromium K-type thermocouple.

The programmer's electronic display prompts for heating rates, target temperatures, and hold times, making it easy to set up and re-use accurate heating, holding, and cooling sequences.

The accessories, options, and upgrades for this kiln are in the on-line shop:

The Paragon SC3 is about 1.35 times larger inside than the SC2. It heats up quickly, it's fully-programmable, does most things for most people within its size and temperature limits, and is small enough to get out, use, and put away. It's ideal for classrooms, colleges, course venues, homes, schools, workshops, and commercial jewellery studios.

It's very versatile: you can paint china figures, do enamelling, make glass figurines, bowls, panels, plates, and vases, anneal, cast, fuse, sag, and slump glass, do lost-wax casting, use jewellery moulds, and make 150mm square glass tiles. Or fire lots of metal clay at one go on three shelves.

As the elements are embedded in ceramic-fibre, not exposed, there's no door cut-off switch so, if you open the kiln to check on enamelling or fusing, the elements stay on and the kiln doesn't lose heat quickly.

THE PARAGON SC3: KILN FURNITURE

The Paragon SC3 Kiln Furniture.

The US-international SC-2 and SC-3 kilns include a flimsy economy fibre shelf. It only occupies about 56% of the firing-chamber floor-area, so limits how you can work. Our SC2 and SC3 kilns include a durable cordierite pro shelf with four props. So:

There's a recommended kit, included in the price: one durable 178mm x 178mm x 15mm cordierite shelf and four 12mm shelf posts.

There's an extra recommended kit, not included in the price: one 178mm x 178mm x 15mm shelf and four posts. You can choose 12mm, 25mm, or 50mm posts.

Depending on the material or process, and the sizes of your pieces, stacked shelves will hold more work, free up your time, and reduce the unit firing cost: so you might want more kits. This kiln has room for four.

The Paragon SC-3B door includes a 165mm x 64mm letter-box style bead-annealing door and a 5-place bead-mandrel holder. Otherwise, it's the same as the SC-3 door.

The bead door is hinged along the top edge and opens outwards. The bead mandrels, or rods, holding your glass beads, are pushed through the bead door and rest on the mandrel holder, so that an annealing programme can toughen the glass.

The bead door can also be used to take a quick peep at china paints, enamels, glass, and glazes to check on their progress, or to adjust or move pieces of work. It gives you a wider view than a window, but the kiln will heat unevenly if you keep it fully open for too long.
Purists will tell you not to open the bead door but remember that when you're using bead mandrels it's slightly open all the time. As always, experiment and find the simplest or most successful way of working.

If you touch hot bead mandrels, even very briefly, it's important to wear heat-resistant gloves to protect your fingers. Hot gloves are in the on-line shop.

The SC-3W door includes a 50mm x 50mm heat-resistant glass viewing-window in the centre of the door. Otherwise it's the same as the SC-3 door.

The window allows you to take a quick peep at china paints, enamels, glass, and glazes to check on their progress: and you might find it interesting or reassuring to watch what happens during the firing sequence.
The window will cause a modest heat loss so the kiln might not heat as quickly or reach its top temperature. To resolve this, tuck a piece of ceramic-fibre cloth behind the glass. Ceramic-fibre cloths are in the on-line shop.

If you look into a red-hot kiln, even very briefly, it's important to wear glare-resistant glasses to protect your eyes from IR and UV radiation. Hot glasses are in the on-line shop.

The Paragon SC-3BW door includes a 165mm x 64mm letter-box style bead-annealing door, a 5-place bead-mandrel holder, and a 75mm x 25mm heat-resistant glass viewing-window above the door. Otherwise, it's the same as the SC-3 door.

The SC-3BW is the most versatile of the SC-3 series, combining the advantages of the SC-3B and the SC-3W described above. It's a good choice if you're buying your first kiln and you're not sure what you might want to do with it in the future.

Even if you don't use the bead door and window very often as you gain experience, they do make learning easier and you might find it interesting or reassuring to watch what happens during the firing sequence.

Paragon's kiln names often use a suffixed number to represent one or more of the internal dimensions in inches. However, for this kiln, 4 doesn't mean it's 4 inches anywhere. It's about 13 inches wide, 13 inches deep, and 9 inches high inside.

The UK-EU kiln is rated at 230V-240V2400W, so it can use a regular mains socket. To comply with EU safety regulations, the elements are embedded: an important safety feature. However, never get careless: kilns are very hot and connected to the mains.

The external dimensions are 457mm x 546mm x 521mm high. The case is slotted for air circulation and has an integral stand. There's a removable stopper in the top vent for lost-wax casting and other processes that might release fumes. The shipping weight is about 49kg.

The firing chamber, enclosed in an inner steel case, measures 330mm x 330mm x 229mm high, and heats from both sides, with the fast-firing elements safely embedded in the fibre. The kiln has an electro-mechanical relay and a nickel-chromium K-type thermocouple.

The programmer's electronic display prompts for heating rates, target temperatures, and hold times, making it easy to set up and re-use accurate heating, holding, and cooling sequences.

The accessories, options, and upgrades for this kiln are in the on-line shop:

The Paragon SC4 is about 4.24 times larger inside than the SC2. It heats up quickly, it's fully-programmable, and does most things for most people within its size and temperature limits. It's ideal for classrooms, colleges, course venues, homes, schools, workshops, and commercial jewellery studios.

Unlike the 1095°C SC2 and SC3, the SC4 is a 925°C kiln. However, it's very versatile: you can paint china figures, do enamelling, make glass figurines, bowls, panels, plates, and vases, anneal, cast, fuse, sag, and slump glass, do lost-wax casting, use jewellery moulds, and make 300mm square glass tiles. Or fire lots of metal clay at one go on three shelves.

It'll also hold a 318mm x 318mm lost-wax burn-out tray. There are two parts: a stainless steel tray and a steel grate. The melting wax drops into the tray instead of onto the floor of the firing chamber.

As the elements are embedded in ceramic-fibre, not exposed, there's no door cut-off switch so, if you open the kiln to check on enamelling or fusing, the elements stay on and the kiln doesn't lose heat quickly.

THE PARAGON SC4: KILN FURNITURE

Shelf Kits For The Paragon SC4.

There's a recommended kit, included in the price: one durable 305mm x 305mm x 15mm cordierite shelf and four 12mm shelf posts.

There's an extra recommended kit, not included in the price: one 305mm x 305mm x 15mm shelf and four posts. You can choose 12mm, 25mm, 50mm, or 75mm posts.

Depending on the material or process, and the sizes of your pieces, stacked shelves will hold more work, free up your time, and reduce the unit firing cost: so you might want more kits. This kiln has room for three.

Cherry Heaven has been a Paragon distributor since 2002, and commended every year for outstanding performance. Paragon kilns are good value: buy Paragons and you could save enough to treat yourself to a luxury five-star weekend break.

Anyone can buy a kiln to resell and call themselves a specialist, but a top-tier distributor understands all the kilns, options, and upgrades, will stock spares, offers free competent technical support, can help you repair your kiln, provide on-line repair videos, has a repair workshop, and can access Paragon's extensive knowledge-base.

If you need help, you can mail an experienced technician or call . Alternatively, to learn more about how your kiln works, use the help link below the menu bar near the top of the page.

THE PARAGON SENTRY XPRESS 3-KEY DIGITAL PROGRAMMER

The Orton-Paragon Sentry Xpress 3-Key Digital Controller.

The Paragon Sentry Xpress 3-key digital programmer allows you to set up four firing sequences, each one with up to eight heating, holding, or cooling segments. You can choose the heating and cooling rates, target temperatures, and hold times, save the sequences, and re-use them.

It's easy to use: far easier than a central heating programmer. Here's a Cherry Heaven TV programme about setting a simple ramp-hold sequence. The ramp is the part where the temperature increases until it reaches the target temperature: the hold is the part where the temperature stays the same. UK-EU programmers will be in degrees Celsius.

Cherry Heaven TV provides on-line radio and television programmes on the Cherry Heaven TV Player. To use the player, click the controls or drag the time-line slider or volume slider to a new position.

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THE PARAGON SENTRY 12-KEY DIGITAL PROGRAMMER

The Orton-Paragon Sentry 12-Key Digital Controller.

The Paragon Sentry 12-key digital programmer allows you to set up nine firing sequences, each one with up to ten heating, holding, or cooling segments. You can choose the heating and cooling rates, target temperatures, and hold times, save the sequences, and re-use them. It also offers advanced and time-saving features, including optional automatic control over an electric kiln vent, a gas injection system, and a USB computer interface.

It's easy to use: far easier than a central heating programmer. Here's a Cherry Heaven TV programme about setting a simple ramp-hold sequence. The ramp is the part where the temperature increases until it reaches the target temperature: the hold is the part where the temperature stays the same. UK-EU programmers will be in degrees Celsius.

Cherry Heaven TV provides on-line radio and television programmes on the Cherry Heaven TV Player. To use the player, click the controls or drag the time-line slider or volume slider to a new position.

The Paragon Sentinel SmartTouch touch screen digital programmer allows you to set up firing sequences, each one with up to thirty two heating, holding, or cooling segments. You can choose the heating and cooling rates, target temperatures, and hold times, save the sequences, and re-use them. It also offers advanced and time-saving features, including optional automatic control over an electric kiln vent, a gas injection system, and a USB computer interface.

It's easy to use: far easier than a central heating programmer. Here's a Cherry Heaven TV programme about using it. The ramp is the part where the temperature increases until it reaches the target temperature: the hold is the part where the temperature stays the same. UK-EU programmers will be in degrees Celsius.

Cherry Heaven TV provides on-line radio and television programmes on the Cherry Heaven TV Player. To use the player, click the controls or drag the time-line slider or volume slider to a new position.

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KILN FURNITURE: A GENERAL INTRODUCTION

IMPORTANT

Kiln Furniture: Shelves And Posts.

Most kilns have a recommended furniture kit. Delivery companies have a low rate for parcels less than 30kg so, for smaller kilns weighing less than 30Kg, the kit is generally one shelf and four posts: included in the price because it fits in the box and doesn't add much to the overall weight.

You get a professional, durable, cordierite shelf with four 12mm high posts. You don't get a soft, ceramic-fibre shelf, often described as free, that will gradually break up and need replacing.

Shelf kits for rectangular or square kilns usually include four 25mm x 25mm x 12mm shelf posts, When flat, they're 12mm high: on their sides, they're 25mm. Other sizes, up to 150mm high, are available, so you can choose the shelf spacing that suits your kiln and your work. Shelves for cylindrical kilns usually have three posts.

The recommended kit is usually the simplest that works: not an expensive collection that I've put together for you. However, extra shelf kits allow you to stack your work, optimising your use of the firing chamber volume, the unit-cost of firing, and your time. And extra half-shelves or smaller shelves allow you to fire a mix of shorter and taller pieces.

For larger kilns weighing more than 30Kg, shelf kits are not included in the price because you'll probably want to choose your own mix of shelves, half-shelves, smaller shelves, and assorted-height posts.

One shelf should stay on the floor of the firing chamber all the time in case you accidentally spill or melt anything: solidified glass or metal is impossible to pick off without damaging the ceramic-fibre or firebrick.

Shelves are not meant to be an exact fit in the kiln. You need finger space all round and they mustn't scrape the kiln walls every time they're put in or taken out. Be careful lifting heavy shelves out of a top-opening kiln: if you drop them they will damage the firebricks.

Although they look tough, most ceramics break if they're dropped on a hard floor, so it's a good idea to have spare shelves, especially if your business depends on your kiln or you're running courses.

During firing sequences with heating, holding, and cooling segments, the elements turn on and off repeatedly. In a small kiln, with little residual heat, the inevitable temperature changes can make glass crack as it expands and contracts. A thick heavy shelf stores heat and, because it's resting on posts, the air circulates, helping to even out the normal temperature fluctuations.

If you're buying your first kiln, you're probably interested in one material, such as silver clay, or one process, such as enamelling. However, after a few successes, and failures, most people want to try different materials, make larger pieces, experiment with combinations, fire more at a time, and soon become interested in something else: or everything else. Some start a business or run classes.

You might want a full shelf, two half-shelves, several mixed shelves, a set of shelf posts, a bead-mandrel holder, glass separator, hot gloves, kiln wash, a knife-making rack, pyrometric cones, a tile holder, or other accessories.

Shelves are heavy, so kits ordered separately need a box and protective packing and attract an extra delivery charge. Outside the UK mainland, this might be expensive. So, if you think you'll need them, order them with your kiln, along with any other accessories, materials, parts, or tools.

For dichroics, enamelling, and glass fusing, put kiln paper on the shelf to stop the glass sticking: it's simpler and cleaner to use than glass separator. Bullseye Thinfire shelf paper, probably the most popular, ensures easy separation between your glass and the kiln shelf. One side feels slightly smoother than the other: that's the glass side.

Generally, glasswork needs radiant heat and will fuse, sag, or slump better on one shelf than between closely stacked shelves, although experienced glass artists often use several shelves successfully.

Delicate pieces can be fired on a puffed-up ceramic-fibre cloth: on a shelf. Round pieces, that could roll to one side, can be fired on a hollowed-out ceramic-fibre block. However, if the kin has elements in the bottom as with the Mini-Kiln and Prometheus Pro-7, a cloth or block will act as insulator and the kiln might overheat.

Particulates represent a health risk if they're breathed in, so wear a HEPA mask when cleaning out your kiln, mixing kiln wash, and working with ceramic-fibre blocks, ceramic cloths, and papers. And, ideally, use protective glasses.

If you want to touch anything hot, or move your kiln before it's cooled off, it's important to wear heat-resistant gloves. And, if you want to look into a red-hot kiln, even briefly, wear glare-resistant glasses to protect your eyes from IR and UV.

If your day-to-day work depends on your kiln and down-time will be disruptive or expensive, it's a good idea to have spares: extra shelves, a selection of posts, elements, a relay, and a thermocouple.

You can learn about ceramic blocks and cloths, charcoal, dust masks, glare-resistant glasses, glass separator, heat-resistant gloves, kiln vents, kiln wash, programmers, protective glasses, USB interfaces, shelf paper, tools, and other accessories, using the accessories link below the menu bar near the top of the front page. And they're all in the on-line shop.

Shelves are checked before despatch and are wrapped protectively. But they're not guaranteed and we cannot be responsible for any later damage.

OPTIONS AND UPGRADES: A GENERAL INTRODUCTION

Options And Upgrades.

It's important to learn about options and upgrades now as some have to be factory-fitted. The photo shows a Paragon Xpress E9A customised for a PMC silver clay studio: purple, with the maximum temperature set to 925°C so that students couldn't accidentally melt their silver.

An option is cosmetic or practical, such as a black respray, a right-hand door hinge, a peephole-vent, a bead-annealing door, a door or lid viewing window, or an EU plug.

An upgrade extends the standard specifications, such as a higher maximum temperature, a 3-key to a 12-key programmer, an electric kiln vent, a gas injection control system, an auxilliary power output, or a USB computer interface.

Not every option or upgrade applies to every kiln, so mail or call if you need help. However, if they're appropriate, they're listed in the on-line shop, so just add up the ones you want: but order them with your kiln as they're often difficult, expensive, or impossible, to implement afterwards. It might help if you make a few notes of your own as you read?

Kilns use regular single-phase 230V-240V mains so have 230V EU elements, not 120V US elements. The smaller kilns have UK 13A three-pin plugs: so they're ready to go. If you're not in the UK, use a plug adapter or cut off the UK plug and fit your own: it won't invalidate the guarantee. Alternatively, a special-order kiln can have a factory-fitted EU plug.

Most kilns can be re-engineered for 110V, 200V, 208V, or 220V, single phase or three phase, or 440V three phase. If you're interested, mail or call.

Although standard EU and US kilns have the same maximum temperature, set by the design and the programmer, some 1095°C firebrick kilns can be re-engineered to run at 1230°C, 1260°C, or 1290°C, making them versatile mixed-media kilns. However, to use 1290°C full-on hour after hour, choose an industrial or professional model.

Also, to maintain 1290°C, some upgraded kilns might need thicker firebricks, so they'll be slightly smaller inside: about 12mm on each side. Mail or call if you're interested, or need help deciding.

The UK factory-set maximum temperature is based on a reliable average voltage of 240V. If there's a regional, national, or temporary voltage drop, high-temperature kilns might take longer to reach their specified maximum or not reach it.

Some kilns are normally blue, but can be factory-painted berry, black, jade, navy, pink, purple, or turquoise. However, as they're made to order, they can't be returned if the colour isn't exactly the same as in the photo.

Changing the door hinge might be better if your kiln is in the corner of your studio or there's an obstacle that will make access difficult. Give this some thought.

Most of the medium-size top-opening kilns have a standard lift-up lid. Firebrick lids seem heavy to some people so, if you feel that a ceramic fibre lid, a hydraulic-assisted lid, or spring-assisted lid would be easier, mail or call.

If the kiln comes with a Sentry Xpress 3-Key ramp-hold programmer, you can upgrade to a Sentry Xpress 3-Key cone-fire ramp-hold programmer, usually preferred for ceramics. Cone-fire is implemented in the programmer's software and is very easy to use: just set a cone number and start the firing sequence.

Depending on the kiln, you can upgrade a Sentry Xpress 3-key programmer to a Sentry 12-Key ten segment ramp-hold, or cone-fire ramp-hold, programmer, with advanced firing features and connection options. The 3-key has a 12-month guarantee and the 12-key has a 30-month guarantee.

A Sentry 12-key programmer can be connected to your computer through a factory-fitted USB interface. The Control Master software allows you to control and monitor the firing, and analyse, arrange, print out, and save the data. If you want this feature, make sure you order the USB interface in the on-line shop.

Depending on the kiln, the 12-key programmer has a power-ratio feature: you can adjust the heat balance between the top and sides in 10% steps and control the heat distribution over larger pieces.

Kilns which only heat from the top, as opposed to the top and sides, don't have the power-ratio feature. However, the initial cost-saving has to be offset against fewer firing options.

With larger kilns, serious glass artists are always concerned about firebrick dust from the lid falling onto their work, so you could upgrade the standard firebrick lid to a factory-fitted ceramic-fibre lid with the elements threaded through pinless grooves in the fibre: or, as a luxury upgrade, with the elements completely embedded in the fibre.

Most kilns come with an electro-mechanical long-life nickel-chromium K-type thermocouple. However, if extra long-life and reliability are vital, you can upgrade to a mercury relay which has a lifetime of several million on-off cycles. The relay can switch 30A, so if you have a kiln that needs 50A, you'll need two relays.

Some front-opening kilns are just too large and too heavy for a regular worktop, so Paragon makes a strong steel table, 768mm x 768mm x 718mm high, with two shelves for your accessories. The luxury version, with castors, is 63mm taller. If you decide to buy on old wood table, the rigidity of the legs is vital otherwise it will collapse like a parallelogram.

Some bronze and copper clays, and some metals, need to be fired in activated charcoal granules in a stainless steel container. The SC2 and SC3, the Caldera-A, and the Xpress E9A and E10A can hold a one-litre container: most other kilns can hold a three-litre but check the internal size before you buy the container. It's important that the container doesn't touch the thermocouple.

Particulates represent a health risk if they're breathed in, so wear a HEPA mask when cleaning out your kiln, mixing kiln wash, and working with charcoals, ceramic-fibre blocks, cloths, and papers. And, ideally, use protective glasses.

If you want to touch anything hot or move your kiln before it's cooled off, it's important to wear heat-resistant gloves. And, if you want to look into a red-hot kiln, wear glare-resistant glasses which protect your eyes from IR and UV.

Paragon kilns, made in the US, have been re-engineered and comprehensively tested for the UK, the EU, and most other countries. They're CE Marked and comply with EU safety standards. They're guaranteed for a year, and Paragon has an international, informed, and supportive user-base, and spares and repair centres.

The UK-EU digital programmer shows degrees Celsius, not degrees Fahrenheit as in the US. If you need to convert, this is how to do it. However, if you want to work in Fahrenheit, you can make a simple change to the programmer.

For help, or in the unlikely event of a fault, you can mail or call an engineer in the UK. However, home checks, adjustments, and repairs are quick and easy, needing little more than a PosiDriv screwdriver, and you can watch on-line videos. Alternatively, we can repair the kiln in our workshop at Cherry Heaven.

As with a lot of heavy consumer products made in the US but sold elsewhere, Paragon's guarantee covers replacement parts, not a return to the distributor or factory, and not any labour costs. However, as an example, replacing a programmer takes just a few minutes.

FIRING CHARACTERISTICS

How Electric Kilns Work.

Generally, as soon as a programmable kiln starts its firing sequence, it begins to heat up at a rate set by the programmer. It can't heat up quicker than it would do with the elements full on all the time.

The thermocouple tells the programmer the current internal temperature and, depending on the sequence you've chosen, the programmer turns the elements on or off to control the sequence segments: the heating rate, the target temperature, the hold time, and the cooling rate. It can't cool down quicker than it would do with the kiln turned off. When the sequence is complete, the kiln beeps, and the sequence stops.

For safety, the programmer doesn't switch the full mains voltage. Instead it drives a relay, an electro-mechanical switch. The programmer uses a low voltage to activate the switch which turns the high-voltage high-current elements on or off.

When the target temperature is reached, the programmer switches the elements off. However, residual heat in the firing chamber allows the internal temperature to overshoot the target temperature briefly before starting to fall back.

This overshoot is more evident at low temperatures than at high temperatures, and in small kilns rather than large kilns. For example: 300°C will probably overshoot to 350°C whereas 800°C will probably only overshoot to 805°C before starting to fall back.

However, our Sentry Xpress programmers have a software modification that slows down the heating just before the target temperature, reducing any overshoot and improving the accuracy.

During the hold-time, with the elements still off, the temperature starts to fall. When the programmer switches the elements back on, the firing chamber will initially absorb some of the new heat before the temperature recovers. The continual switching of the elements on and off causes the internal temperature to oscillate either side of the target temperature.

This is similar to central heating. If you set it for 21°C, it probably oscillates, quite slowly, around 20°C to 22°C: and you won't notice. The accuracy will depend on where the thermostat is sited, how quickly it responds, how accurate it is, how long it takes for the radiators to heat up, and if you have doors and windows open. The temperature will probably be different in each room.

So, regardless of the thermocouple temperature, the actual temperature of your work will be slightly different, depending on its position on the kiln shelf, the vertical spacing of any stacked shelves, and its nearness to the elements, a lid, a door, a bead door, or a window. Learn to take this into account if you're working with temperature-critical materials or processes.

Remember that glass needs radiant heat and will fuse, sag, or slump better on one shelf at the bottom than between closely stacked shelves.

Kiln doors and lids are not meant to be a perfect fit otherwise, at high temperatures, there'd be no room for expansion and movement, and the door could stick and the ceramic-fibre or firebricks could crack.

All kilns smell a bit, and even produce whisps of smoke, during the first firings, just like a toaster or a fan heater. If you're worried about fumes, open a window.

Keeping A Kiln Log.

Using your kiln successfully needs critical research and frequent tests, especially as things that work for your friends and teachers might not work in the same way for you. It's also very important to learn how to creatively use unexpected effects. So, keep a firing log:

Buy a durable notebook. Use a new page for every firing, and draw diagrams of the shelves, their vertical spacing, and the position of your work on the shelves. Along with your work, put a few scraps at different places on the shelves to learn how things change. Describe the material, the shape of your work, the firing cycle, and the end result. Add a few photos and sketches, and mark the page corners with coloured dots or symbols as a quick reminder of your success rating.

A kiln log is vital if you're experimenting with temperature-sensitive materials or working with metals, coloured dichroic glasses, enamels, glazes, or china paints, and a skilled artist will use the kiln log to advantage to re-create effects. It'll be particularly useful if you have to repeat a commission, or you have a long holiday before returning to your studio.

Some Paragon kilns have a Sentry 12-key or a Sentinel Touch Screen programmer which can be connected to your computer through a factory-fitted USB interface. The Control Master software allows you to control and monitor the firing, and analyse, arrange, save, and print out the data. If you want this feature, make sure you order the USB interface in the on-line shop.

A BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO METAL CLAYS

What Is A Metal Clay?

Metal Clays are clay-like materials made of fine metal powders and water-soluble organic binders. Out of the packet they feel like modelling clay, so can be shaped using anything appropriate. If you don't like what you've made, you can roll it up and start again. Any scraps can be wrapped up in cling-film or foil and re-used, so there's almost no waste.

When you're happy with your work, it's dried so that the moisture can evaporate. At this stage it feels like a plaster, so you can still refine the shape: or even add more clay.

As it's fired, the binders vapourise, releasing small amounts of non-toxic carbon dioxide and water, and the metal powder sinters, leaving solid metal: real metal, not something that just looks like metal. The firing temperature isn't high enough to melt the metal otherwise your work would liquify and lose it's shape.

I sometimes get asked if there's a platinum metal clay: there is, but it's an industrial product. Platinum melts at 1772°C, so a platimum clay would probably need to fire at around 1600°C: beyond the maximum temperature of conventional kilns.

All our tools have been chosen for their engineering excellence and clean functionality, to help you manage a creative and efficient work environment. And you'll enjoy using good tools rather than continually improvising. To learn more, use the accessories-tools link below the menu bar near the top of the page.

SILVER CLAY

Aida Art Clay Silver And Mitsubishi PMC Silver Clay.

There are two popular makes of silver clay: Art Clay made by Aida Chemical Industries and PMC made by Mitsubishi Materials Corporation, in Japan. They're both clay-like materials made of fine silver powder and water-soluble organic binders.

Art Clay Silver and PMC Silver, sometimes just called silver clay, metal clay, or precious-metal clay, are easy to fire: put your dried work on a kiln shelf and programme the temperature and hold-time.

As they're fired, the binders vapourise, releasing very small amounts of non-toxic carbon dioxide and water, and the metal powder sinters, leaving solid 999 silver: real metal, not something that just looks like metal.

All jewellery kilns include a durable shelf kit so that you can start work straight away, but several shelves can be stacked to make better use of your time and reduce the unit-cost of firing: so you might want more than one.

Although we chose to work with, sell, and provide classes in Art Clay, both makes fire in a similar way. So any kiln suitable for Art Clay will be just as good for PMC.

If you're currently using PMC, try Art Clay. There are differences in the feel, the shrinkage, the strength, the surface lustre, the product range, the pricing, and the general commercial setup if you're running a serious business.

To learn more, use the links below the menu bar near the top of the page. You can buy ArtClay, bronze clay, copper clay, gold clay, and related products in the on-line shop.

BRONZE CLAY

Bronze Clay And BronzClay.

There are three popular makes of bronze clay: Bronze Clay made by ClayMania, BronzClay made by Metal Adventures, and Prometheus Bronze ProClay made by Odak. They're all clay-like materials made of fine bronze powder and water-soluble organic binders. However, they're fired in different ways:

Prometheus Bronze Clay is easy to fire: wrap your dried work in kitchen tissue or ceramic cloth, put it on a kiln shelf, and programme the temperature and hold time. It can also be fired in charcoal.

Clay Mania Bronze Clay and MetalAdventures BronzClay fire in a special way. Fired normally, the surface would oxidise so, to minimize this, they're embedded in activated charcoal granules in a covered stainless steel container. Charcoal made from coconut shells produces a natural bronze colour, and charcoal made from coal produces a colourful range of patinas.

As they're fired, the binders vapourise, releasing very small amounts of non-toxic carbon dioxide and water, and the metal powder sinters, leaving solid bronze, an alloy of 89% copper and 11% tin: real metal, not something that just looks like metal.

The stainless steel container for the Paragon SC-2 measures 162mm x 176mm x 100mm high, and holds 1 litre of charcoal. To fire larger pieces, or more pieces at the same time, you'll need a larger kiln, such as the Paragon Xpress E-12A. The container for the E-12A measures 265mm x 162mm x 152mm high and holds 3 litres of charcoal.

The 1230°C firebrick E12A costs more than the 1095°C ceramic-fibre SC2. However, it's two and a half times larger than the SC-2 and is a versatile mixed-media kiln suited to continual high temperatures.

Particulates represent a health risk if they're breathed in, so wear a HEPA mask when cleaning out your kiln, mixing kiln wash, and working with charcoals, ceramic-fibre blocks, cloths, and papers. And, ideally, use protective glasses.

All jewellery kilns include a durable shelf kit so that you can start work straight away, but several shelves can be stacked to make better use of your time and reduce the unit-cost of firing: so you might want more than one.

I can't recommend one clay as being the best. There are differences in the feel, the firing, the shrinkage, the strength, and the surface patinas, so try them and experiment: they're not expensive.
However, as Prometheus Bronze Clay is easy to fire and costs less than the others, try it first? It comes as 100gm of soft clay in a packet, or 10gm of creamy clay in a syringe with three tips that you can cut or shape.

There's also Creative Bronze, which is almost certainly Prometheus Bronze Clay renamed. I'll leave it you to work out why very similar products can differ so much in price.

Also, in November 2014, 100gms of Art Clay Silver Clay costs about 12 times more than Prometheus Bronze Clay. So, if you're still in the learning phase, you can try out ideas before possibly wasting your expensive silver clay. However, bronze is a beautiful metal so, as with many materials, you need to exploit its qualities and try to produce beautiful original pieces.

To learn more, use the links below the menu bar near the top of the page. You can buy ArtClay, bronze clay, copper clay, gold clay, and related products in the on-line shop.

COPPER CLAY

Copper Clay And CopprClay.

There are four popular makes of copper clay: Art Clay Copper made by Aida Chemical Industries, Copper Clay made by ClayMania, CopprClay made by Metal Adventures, and Prometheus Copper ProClay made by Odak. They're all clay-like materials made of fine copper powder and water-soluble organic binders. However, they're fired in different ways:

Art Clay Copper is easy to fire: put your dried work on a kiln shelf, and programme the temperature and hold time. In most kilns, several shelves can be stacked to make better use of your time: so you might want more than one.

Prometheus Copper Clay is easy to fire: wrap your dried work in kitchen tissue or ceramic cloth, put it on a kiln shelf, and programme the temperature and hold time. It can also be fired in charcoal.

As they're fired, the binders vapourise, releasing very small amounts of non-toxic carbon dioxide and water, and the metal powder sinters, leaving solid copper: real metal, not something that just looks like metal.

The stainless steel container for the Paragon SC-2 measures 162mm x 176mm x 100mm, and holds 1 litre of charcoal. To fire larger pieces, or more pieces at the same time, you'll need a larger kiln, such as the Paragon Xpress E-12A. The container for the E-12A measures 265mm x 162mm x 152mm and holds 3 litres of charcoal.

The 1230°C firebrick E12A costs more than the 1095°C ceramic-fibre SC2. However, it's two and a half times larger than the SC-2 and is a versatile mixed-media kiln suited to continual high temperatures.

Particulates represent a health risk if they're breathed in, so wear a HEPA mask when cleaning out your kiln, mixing kiln wash, and working with charcoals, ceramic-fibre blocks, cloths, and papers. And, ideally, use protective glasses.

All jewellery kilns include a durable shelf kit so that you can start work straight away, but several shelves can be stacked to make better use of your time and reduce the unit-cost of firing: so you might want more than one.

I can't recommend one clay as being the best. There are differences in the feel, the firing, the shrinkage, the strength, and the surface patinas, so try them and experiment: they're not expensive.
However, as Prometheus Copper Clay is easy to fire and costs less than the others, try it first? It comes as 100gm of soft clay in a packet, or 10gm of creamy clay in a syringe with three tips that you can cut or shape.

There's also Creative Copper, which is almost certainly Prometheus Copper Clay renamed. I'll leave it you to work out why very similar products can differ so much in price.

Also, in November 2014, 100gms of Art Clay Silver Clay costs about 12 times more than Prometheus Copper Clay. So, if you're still in the learning phase, you can try out ideas before possibly wasting your expensive silver clay. However, copper is a beautiful metal so, as with many materials, you need to exploit its qualities and try to produce beautiful original pieces.

To learn more, use the links below the menu bar near the top of the page. You can buy ArtClay, bronze clay, copper clay, gold clay, and related products in the on-line shop.

GOLD CLAY

Aida Art Clay Gold And Mitsubishi PMC Gold Clay.

There are two popular makes of gold clay: Art Clay made by Aida Chemical Industries and PMC made by Mitsubishi Materials Corporation, in Japan. They're both clay-like materials made of fine gold powder and water-soluble organic binders.

Art Clay Gold and PMC Gold, sometimes just called gold clay, metal clay, or precious-metal clay, are easy to fire: put your dried work on a kiln shelf and programme the temperature and hold-time.

As they're fired, the binders vapourise, releasing very small amounts of non-toxic carbon dioxide and water, and the metal powder sinters, leaving solid 22 carat gold: real metal, not something that just looks like metal.

All jewellery kilns include a durable shelf kit so that you can start work straight away, but several shelves can be stacked to make better use of your time and reduce the unit-cost of firing: so you might want more than one.

Although we chose to work with, sell, and provide classes in Art Clay, both makes fire in a similar way. So any kiln suitable for Art Clay will be just as good for PMC.

If you're currently using PMC, try Art Clay. There are differences in the feel, the shrinkage, the strength, the surface lustre, the product range, the pricing, and the general commercial setup if you're running a serious business.

To learn more, use the links below the menu bar near the top of the page. You can buy ArtClay, bronze clay, copper clay, gold clay, and related products in the on-line shop.

A BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO GLASS

What Is Glass?

The main component of glass is silicon dioxide, often called silica: found naturally and plentifully as sand. When it melts, at around 1700°C, it's like syrup on a cold day. When it cools, it forms a rigid brittle glass called quartz glass.

To lower the melting point, and reduce the cost of melting, chemicals are added: typically sodium carbonate and calcium oxide. Other chemicals, and different heating and cooling processes, produce a range of colours and mechanical properties.

A form of glass occurs naturally within the mouth of a volcano when the intense heat of an eruption melts sand to form Obsidian, a hard black-to-brown glassy type of stone, shown in the photo. Although it was used decoratively, when it fractures it has very sharp edges, many times sharper than a steel knife-edge, so was also used for tools and weapons, and the pitiful rituals of circumcision and female genital mutilation.

ANNEALING

What Is Annealing?

During annealing, fabrication stresses are relieved as the molecules cool and arrange themselves into a regular stable matrix. Successful annealing is the key to creating glasswork that will remain attractive and durable. It's quite a long process, so a kiln with an automatic comprehensive programmer is essential.

FREE BEAD ANNEALING GUIDE

Bead Annealing Guide.

You can download, and print, a Bead Annealing Guide. Paragon created it in 2013 so, although it might have been updated, it's only a guide, not a contemporary definitive document. Click here. It's a pdf file, but your device should already have a pdf viewer.

DICHROIC GLASS

What Are Dichroic Glasses.

Dichroic glass has two different colours: a transmitted colour and a reflective colour, both of which change depending on the angle of view. For example blue-red will be blue in transmission and red in reflection.

During manufacture, quartz and metal oxides are vapourised onto the surface of the glass using a vacuum deposition process, forming a multi-layer crystal structure.

ENAMELLING

What Is Enamelling?

Enamelling involves applying a glass paste to metal and then heating it to fuse it to the surface. The finish of the enamel can be translucent or opaque depending on the temperature used to melt the glass. Higher temperatures result in a more transparent and durable enamel whilst lower temperatures give a more opaque and fragile surface. Dyes and pigments can be included to produce any colour.

Paragon make a kiln designed for this: the SC2, although other kilns are fine. So click the sc2-sc3 link under the menu bar near the top of the page. The SC-2W and SC-3W doors include a 50mm x 50mm heat-resistant glass viewing-window in the centre of the door, allowing you to take a quick peep at china paints, enamels, glass, and glazes to check on their progress

FIRE POLISHING

What Is Fire Polishing?

To fire polish glass, return the items to the kiln and melt them just enough to give a smooth polished appearance. It needs a temperature of around 700°C, and is often used to round the edges of glass after fusing.

Fire polishing already-slumped items is more difficult because the polishing temperature is close to the slumping temperature and it can distort the appearance of the piece. So it generally works best for flat items, rather than slumped ones. It has the slight limitation that the part of the item that touches the kiln shelf won't polish.

FUSING, SAGGING, AND SLUMPING

What Is Glass Fusing?

If two or more pieces of glass in contact are heated, they begin to soften and fuse together. With careful heating and cooling, the separate pieces of glass become one.

If glass is put on a mould and heated, it begins to soften and collapse, or sag, onto the mould: a common technique for making bowls and plates.

Sagging and slumping are often thought of as being the same. Correctly: during sagging, heated glass, supported at its edges, sags down in the middle to conform to a mould; during slumping, heated glass, supported at its middle, slumps down at its edges to conform to a mould.

LAMPWORK AND BEADS

What Is Lampwork?

Lamp-working is the traditional name for glasswork that uses a flame to melt glass rods and tubes. As the glass softens, it's shaped by turning and using tools.

Early lampworkers used an oil-lamp, and blew air into the flame through a pipe. Later, propane, natural gas, or butane torches replaced the lamp, although kilns are now increasingly popular, particularly for annealing.

Beads are usually made on steel rods, or mandrels. When the beads are finished, the rods are removed leaving holes for threading the beads. Cold working techniques can be used, such as etching, faceting, polishing, and sandblasting.

LOST-WAX BURNOUT

What Is Lost Wax Casting?

Lost-wax burnout starts with making a wax shape and then making a mould of the shape. When the mould is heated in a kiln, the wax melts out through channels, usually over a burnout grate and into a tray. The shape is then cast in glass or metal from the mould.

It's important to prevent wax or carbon sticking to the elements, so burnout kilns have a top vent to release the fumes. Carbon build-up inside a kiln conducts electricity and can cause the elements to short circuit.

Paragon make kilns designed for this: the W series. So click the w-lost-wax-burnout link under the menu bar near the top of the page. They all have top vents and optional wax trays.

SLUMPING BOTTLES

What Is Glass Slumping?

This a simple technique but it requires good ideas. A bottle, such as those used for wine, beer, cola, or champagne, is softened in a kiln so that it begins to flatten out or conforms to a mould. There are too many moulds to stock here but there are lots available on line. Or make your own from clay.

The bottles need to be clean and dry, with all paper labels and tops removed. Put them in your kiln on a shelf, either with shelf paper or kiln wash to prevent the glass sticking to the shelf.

Paragon makes a kiln designed for this: the Trio. So click the trio link under the menu bar near the top of the page. It's wide enough for most bottles but can still use a regular socket.

PÂTE DE VERRE

What Is Pâte De Verre?

Pâte de verre involves making a glass paste, applying it to a mould, firing it, and removing the piece from the mould. The glass paste is usually made from glass powder, a binder such as gum arabic, distilled water, and colouring agents or enamels. It allows precise placing of colours in the mould, whereas other techniques often result in the glass straying from its intended position.

I think, currently, Daum is the only large commercial crystal manufacturer using the pâte de verre process for art glass and crystal sculptures.

STAINED GLASS

What Is Stained Glass?

Stained glass is glass that has been coloured by adding metallic salts during its manufacture. The coloured glass is crafted into stained glass windows in which small pieces of glass are arranged to form patterns or pictures, traditionally held together by strips of lead and supported by a rigid frame. Painted details and yellow stain are often used to enhance the design.

The term stained glass is also applied to windows in which the colours have been painted onto the glass and then fused to the glass in a kiln.

It requires artistic skill to conceive an appropriate and workable design, and engineering skills to assemble the piece. A window must fit snugly into the space for which it is made, must resist wind and rain, and also, especially in the larger windows, must support its own weight. Many large windows have withstood the test of time and remained substantially intact since the Late Middle Ages.

TACK FUSING

What Is Tack Fusing?

Tack fusing is the joining together of glass, with as little change to the shape of the pieces as possible. Tack fusing may be used either decoratively, or to assemble a large piece of glass from laminations.

Where tack fusing is used to apply small decorative details to a larger piece, you might want to partially melt the small pieces so that they change shape, usually becoming more spherical under the influence of surface tension, but without changing the shape of the carrier piece. This can be done by using an increased temperature, but only briefly. The carrier piece has a larger thermal mass, so heats up more slowly than the small decorations.

VITRIGRAPH WORK

What Is Vitrigraph?

The vitrigraph process usually uses a kiln to make glass stringers. The bottom of the kiln is removed and set aside. The kiln body is put on a thick ceramic square with a central hole.

A crucible of glass is put inside, and the whole combination lifted well away from the floor to allow moulten glass to fall through a hole in the crucible and form long stringers. Ceramic squares are in the on-line shop.

Paragon make a kiln designed for this: the Caldera. So click the caldera link under the menu bar near the top of the page. The bottom is a separate part and can be unclipped.

WARM GLASS

What Is Warm Glass?

The term warm glass refers to fusing, slumping, and other glass processes which take place at temperatures between about 600°C to 925°C. Although that doesn't sound warm, it is when you compare it to glassblower's working temperatures, which often exceed 1100°C. Warm glass is sometimes called kiln-formed glass.

is a Cherry Heaven internet resource. It's a top-tier international distributor for Texas-made Paragon kilns, furnaces, ovens, and accessories, and has been one of their top-selling partners from 2006 to : a pleasing outcome since the UK is only one third the area of Texas and one fortieth the area of the US.